UKMTO receives report of ship incident near Yemen’s Hodeidah port
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organisation has received a report of an incident in the Red Sea about 55 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, Reuters reports.
The master of the unidentified ship reported “a loud bang accompanied by a flash on the port bow of the vessel” and several explosions in the vicinity of the area, the UKMTO said in an advisory note.
No damage was reported and all crew were reported to be safe. The vessel has now cleared the area at full speed to the next port of call, the note said.
Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi militants, who control much of Yemen including the capital Sanaa, have stepped up attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea in protest against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.